Modern cars with sensors and computers that are able to collect information about the people operating them have become very efficient “data harvesting machines” that are violating Canadian privacy laws, according to a report.
The same technologies that enable manufacturers to build safer vehicles that also provide better entertainment are also facilitating the collection of vast databases of information about drivers in order to gain revenue generating “actionable insights” for businesses, according to a study funded by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and released today by the British Columbia Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (BCFIPA).
The insights can be used not only to improve the vehicles but also to “track and profile customers” for targeted marketing and other purposes,” the report said.
“Some of the data collected and transmitted for data-mining and market research is simply not necessary for services and applications to work,” said the report’s head researcher and privacy lawyer Pippa Lawson. “It opens the door to a range of privacy risks that include security breaches, malicious access and state surveillance.”
Too often, consumers are given limited choice when it comes to the use and disclosure of their personal data collected by connected cars.
Many customers who sign up for a service find they have to agree to the use of their personal data not just for delivering the service, but also for marketing, product developing and “business purposes.”
This violates Canadian laws that require clear, informed consent for the use of any personal data for secondary purposes such as marketing, the report said.